How long will we have time to escape the merger?
 

I am thinking of changing my address to the US to transfer my miles to NW.

I am still waiting for some missing miles from AF....

How much time is left for this escape?

Do you see ANY disadvantage in moving to NW?

Only one i can see is that if you don't fly enough to maintain your level you don't just drop one level down. For instance if you are a PE one year and the next you only do 30k then you would drop to a Silver where as with KLM you would drop to a Gold.

But it depends on which airline you will be flying most often? As KLM will look after their'selites first before looking at NW's.

Oh and you loose Lounge access too, you will have to buy it.

Thank you for your input.

I will be silver so there are no benfits to be lost really but the low fare no miles nonsense and the horrible customer service are reason enough to leave.
I will mostly be flying CO,NW and AF some KL but I have the feeling NW is taking care a lot better for their elites than KL ever has.......

Then you have nothing to loose by moving. At least a SE on NW you should have a chance to get an 1st class donestic upgrade. Where as on KLM you have no chance what so ever.

In any event, this assumes that the soft landing is maintained after the merger, which is far from sure (unlike FD, F+ has no soft landing).

Have we determined that KL Plats are losing upgrades on NW domestic flights?

As far as i am aware that is still staying. There has been no talk about this.

Do Level Miles CarryOver?
 

I have 30 segments and 28,000 or so Level Miles this year as a KL PE. If I transfer to NW World Perks (US), do I lose my hard work and have to start over or do these numbers transfer along with my award miles (for next year qualification).

Next year do I maintain PE even if they do not? I'd hate to lose the Level Miles and Segments, but if i am going to keep PE thru Feb 2007, then I am cool.

Last night when I enquired what to do to have my miles moved to NW I was told that the request would have to be in by the beginning of May!
Since from the second half of May onward they will not process those requests any more since the new program will be available WORLDWIDE......

So be ware that the door to escape to NW will close the first week of May! :td:

NW Move
 

My question is still not answered... if i move over to NW, do I lose the segments and level miles flown this year?

Is my Plat status good for only this year.

Seth

Move to WP
 

Seems to have closed already. I was just told all transfers had to be in by 3/1.

I'm still trying to decipher what those sentiments mean to me personally. I live in New Zealand and until now I've kept my FD account by virtue of a UK mailing address because to change my address would require moving to WP, which I didn't necessarily want. But the introduction of FB will allow me to have a NZ address after all? And it's semantic now too whether the new FB will be better than WP because the door to move has closed?

By whom may I enquire?

Glen

FlyerTalk 'Oz Fest #2' in Sydney May 27/29, 2005. Click for details

Well, I gradually am moving my base of operations to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, the first half of this year and also was curious about transferring points and status to NWA WorldPerks, per the FD program rules.

When I spoke with a WorldPerks agent yesterday afternoon, he saw no obstacles to such a transfer. He said that NWA still welcomes FD accounts, both miles and status, but I would need to speak with KLM first.

I did talk to a very nice Dutch agent this morning and she did some research for me. She said that despite NWA's willingness to absorb the accounts of FD members who move to the USA, KLM has made the decision to stop processing all transfers -- no exceptions. It was decided it was better for all concerned to do this mid-March 2005 with no advance warning, before the Flying Blue kits went out, to prevent a rush. (I don't really know what would cause a rush -- you're either moving household or you're not.)

The agent mentioned I have the option of remaining with FD ("opting out" of Flying Blue), but then all miles will need to be used by 30 April 2005 or they will be forfeited. Flying Dutchman at this point is like a car speeding into a cul-de-sac.

Her advice seems to be somewhat at odds with the welcome letter from Flying Blue; at the bottom is a coupon that can be sent back to "FD Assistance" in Amsterdam confirming my resignation from Flying Blue. It states that by signing and posting this coupon my Flying Dutchman membership will then expire in 6 months, I'll be ineligible for further service benefits (immediately? in 6 months?) and mileage balances during those 6 months will be available for SkyTeam award flights only. I presume this means no upgrades or partner airline flights.

Of course, this coupon is what we refer to in my investment banking career as a "poison pill" -- assured suicide. I can see no immediate benefit to anyone sending in the "zelfmoordcoupon" unless they have a small balance to use up, and even then the FD options for doing so are greatly limited.

The FD agent assured me that if and when my move to Florida is completed, I will be welcomed as a US member of Flying Blue and that the benefits will be generous. Starting with the loss of complimentary upgrades on NWA flights, I'm having trouble seeing it. I do hold out faint hope that either the status or COS bonuses will count toward elite status.

Does this mean that it will be possible, again, to be a WorldPerks member with a European address?